Victoria’s position as the foremost state in standardbred breeding was further strengthened by the results of Group and feature racing in three different states and New Zealand last weekend.
The ‘Big V’ dominance kicked off at Gloucester Park on Friday night when Mad Monday, who was bred by Wangaratta couple Bernie and Margaret Blackshaw, led throughout to beat a top field in the Group 2 $125,000 WA 4YO Classic.
The gelding is the product of Vincent and the Kenneth J mare Richly Deserved, a half-sister to the dam of the 2016 Inter Dominion champion and A.G. Hunter Cup winner Smolda.
On the other side of the Tasman, the two-year-old trotting filly La Venture, who was bred by Pat Driscoll’s Yabby Dam Farms, notched her first success in the Group 3 $40,000 NZ Sires’ Stakes Classique at Addington Raceway.
By USA Breeders Crown champion On A Streak, and one of the first crop of the Cantab Hall horse, La Venture is the first foal out of the Group 2 Melton winner La Serena. She was knocked down for a modest $25,000 at the National Yearling Sale in Christchurch in 2025.
Victorian-bred performers captured three of the four Group/Listed races at Globe Derby Park on Saturday night.
Leading the charge was the lightly raced but richly talented four-year-old The Last Trip, who scored a commanding victory in the Group 3 $100,000 Kevin and Kaye Seymour SA Pacing Cup.
Bred by Heathcote identity David Sheppard, The Last Trip is the result of the mating of the 3YO Colt of the Year Poster Boy and the Group 2-winning mare Fususi. He was purchased for $35,000 at the 2023 Nutrien Equine Melbourne Yearling Sale.
Luvtobeuptome, an Always B Miki colt bred and raced by Torquay hotelier Peter Lewis, streeted his rivals in the $30,000 SA Pacing Derby, while Maestro, a Love You gelding bred by HRV board member Dennis Bice and his wife Brenda, took out the Group 3 $40,000 Aldebaran Park SA Trotters Cup.
A pair of Vicbreds, Horatius Speculo and Ultimaction, won feature races at Launceston on Sunday afternoon.
Horatius Speculo, an Art Major four-year-old bred by the late Garry Rogers, overcame a 20-metre handicap to win the Danbury Park Cup, while Ultimaction, an Ultimate Machete mare out of the multiple Listed placegetter Powerful Princess, won the time-honoured Mother of Pearl for the second time.
The five-year-old mare was bred and is raced by Romsey horseman Geoff Dodd and Marc Panton.
- The Blazinboots, who won at Kilmore and Mount Gambier within nine days, is a brother to the Group 1 winner Smooth Showgirl. The gelding was bred by Melbourne enthusiast Shayne Last.
- Im Miss Royalty, a winner at the all-trotters meeting at Maryborough, is out of the Cups winner Miss Tiny Tot and was bred and is raced by Ian and Sue White.
- Former leading studmaster John Campbell bred Pet Wolf, who notched his first success at the Melton midweek meeting.
